the Colony of Western Australia. 529 



montory, consists of long, sandy beaches that extend for many miles. On these, 

 in stormy weather, many beautiful plants are cast up ; but, owing to the fine- 

 ness of the weather during nearly the whole of my stay, my success must have 

 fallen far short of that of a collector in average seasons. I am convinced of 

 this from the reports I heard from many persons at Fremantle ; and also from 

 the fact that thirty of the species found by Preiss were not ascertained by me. 

 Nevertheless, I more than doubled my previous list, finding very many species 

 not in Preiss's collection. Some of these were dredged in the bay, in 5 or 6 

 fathoms water, but the greater number were picked up on the beach. Amongst 

 the most remarkable of the Fremantle plants are Claiidea elegans (found by 

 George Clifton, Esq.), and Kallymenia cribrosa. Halophlegma- Preissii is 

 very common ; so also is Dasya tenera, which, in a very few minutes after it has 

 been removed from the water, melts into a rose-coloured, gelatinous mass. 

 Halosaccion firmum and H. Hydropho7-a, apparently identical with the Kam- 

 tchatkan plants, are also very frequent ; and Eucheuma speciosum, the jelly 

 or blanc-mange Aveed of this colony, floats on shore in great abundance after 

 winter gales. 



Whilst residing at Fremantle, I made three excursions to Garden Island, 

 distant about nine miles in a S. W. direction, landing each time on the northern 

 and north-eastern beaches. On all these excursions I made very considerable 

 collections of drifted plants, finding several species not seen or very rarely met 

 with elsewhere. Among these the most remarkable were Sarcomenia deles- 

 serioides and S. hypnceoides ; and Lenormandia spectabilis, which is here ex- 

 tremely abundant, varying greatly in size, and in the breadth of the frond. I 

 noticed that several species found at this island were much more luxuriant than 

 individuals of the same kind collected at Eottnest Island, a few miles to the 

 north. This is especially the case with Griffithsia Binderiana^ — the specimens 

 from Garden Island beinsf four, times the size of those from Eottnest. This I 

 attribute to the fact, that at Eottnest this species always grows on Zostera; 

 whilst at Garden Island it attaches itself to various Alga3 ; and the observation 

 (coupled with other similar ones elsewhere made), seems to render it probable 

 that AlgEE really derive nourishment from the soil on which they grow. 



From Fremantle I moved to Eottnest Island, about the end of May, and re- 

 mained till the end of June, a period of six weeks. This little island is situated 



